Viacom Enlists Wailing Cartoons in Battle Over Fees

Tapping emotional images such as a weeping Dora the Explorer and a distraught SpongeBob, Viacom Inc. is launching a marketing blitz Wednesday aimed at demonizing Time Warner Cable over a television-programming contract dispute.

Barring a last-minute settlement on fees, Viacom's cable channels -- including Nickelodeon, MTV and Comedy Central -- will disappear from Time Warner Cable at midnight Wednesday. While programmers and operators...

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The End of SpongeBob?

Viacom cable channels including MTV and Nickelodeon are expected to disappear from Time Warner Cable at midnight Wednesday as part of a bitter dispute over fees to air the channels. In response, Viacom is launching a campaign urging viewers to complain to the cable service provider.